A friend of mine on
Facebook, Gidoen Kakabin, did some research to find out the
origin of the word "parau". This was prompted by my comment on a
photo of a ship sailing in to Kokopo town from the Duke of York Islands. The
photo was posted on Facebook by another Tolai friend, Esau Melli.
After consulting sites on the Internet including
a publication by Bishop Museum in Honolulu this is part of what Gideon came up
with.
PARAU - KUANUA FOR SHIP
The Tolai or Gunantuna people of the Gazelle
Peninsula use the word "Parau" as the name of a ship. The word I
believe, originates in Micronesia and is used to describe the Flying outrigger
canoes called "Proa".
The earliest record of the word
"Proa"was made by Antonio Pigafetta (1491 -1531). Pigafetta
traveled with the Portugese explorer Ferdinand Megallan. He served as
Ferdinand's assistant and kept an accurate journal of the voyage. He recorded
the "flying Proa" in the Landrone islands (Marianas) and part of it
reads:
“The chief amusement of the Landrone islanders consists
in sailing about with their wives in canoes similar to the gondolas of Fusine
near Venice but they are still more narrow, all of them are painted either
black, white or red. The sail is made of the leaves of the palm tree sewed
together and has the shape of a latine sail. It is always placed on one side
and on the opposite side to form an equipoise to the sail…”
In the year 1748, another writer, “Baron George
Anson” describes the vessel as follows:
“The name “flying proa”given to given to these
vessels is owing to the swiftness with which they sail.”
So how did the name “Proa” came to New Britain?
I think that the name was introduced into New
Britain by the Hernsheim Brothers. Eduad and Franz Hernsheim came to Matupit in
1875 via the Marshal islands in order to secure trade with the locals. Eduad stayed in Matupit and Franz was based
in the Marshal Islands. Franz Hernsheim
was also an artist and quite a few of his engravings are of the “Proa”
as shown here.
